Cold plasma enhanced gelation and thermal properties of oat protein and its application in the selected model food system

Abstract

Cold plasma-induced reactions are anticipated to yield structural changes in the plant proteins to desirably modify their gelation properties. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of atmospheric pin-to-plate cold plasma treatment on the gelation and thermal properties of oat protein. Oat protein was subjected to cold plasma at different input voltages (170 V and 230 V) and exposure times (15 min and 30 min) and studied for rheological and thermal characteristics. Protein gels were made using the thermal gelation method at the least gelation concentration (20% w/v) and were studied for rheological and textural properties. While all the plasma-treated protein dispersions showed increased rheological properties due to the induced aggregations, the gels formed from the 230 V-15 min treated sample exhibited higher viscosity (~7981 cP), visco-elastic moduli (G’ – 3682.4 Pa; G” – 1170.50 Pa) and stability (γc – 2.11%) compared to all the other samples owing to the medium-sized aggregates and the positive zeta potential. This might also be attributed to a decreased denaturation temperature (~93.29 ˚C) of the sample. Additionally, plasma-treated oat proteins incorporated patties demonstrated improved functional properties, including reduced syneresis loss (~74% reduction) and increased compression juice loss (~36% rise) due to enhanced moisture retention and water holding. Textural analysis revealed that patties containing oat protein treated at 230 V for 15 min exhibited superior softness after cooking. These findings suggest that cold plasma treatment enhances the gelation properties of oat protein at specific treatment conditions, improving the textural attributes of the plant patties.